Prayer of the Children

[LilithDarkSoul]

When i was in high school my directer introduced us to this song and it was such a touching and beautiful song.. now.. ten years latter i often find myself singing it to myself.. i don't think i will ever forget it

[musicaltheatregurl]

We just sang this song at an assembly at my high school. I literally cried while singing. It's such a beautiful and touching song.

[QRB1443]

Btw, my choir had around 50 members in a high school of around 200 people

[QRB1443]

Sang this my freshman year of high school. Easy to learn, but when combined, sounds complex, sad, and beautiful. Not to be offensive to anyone, but it reminds me that in even situations like this song depicts, Jesus will save all that believe in him.

[Bluestar6264]

this song is so sad, yet so beautiful :')

[ldsgirl315sFreedom]

The Language at 4:40 is Serbian

[ldsgirl315sFreedom]

The Soprano you are referring to is not off at all. It's kind of like tuning to the "perfect A". For some people what is written in their score of music is too low for their actual vocal range. She is using a partial descant to make up for her issues. She doesn't "carry" the section, nor does she detract from it. I have had to use the same technique.

[drbren12]

The language at

4:40 looks like czech



[Fantasyof1995]

Ver beautiful, I really like this song! But what's that language at 4:40?

[Cr0key]

Sops ruin this version. TTBB works so much better for this piece

[ursy1234]

To fully understand the meaning if this song you need to know how the story behind it: The composer spent some time in Serbia where he met children from the local orphanage... He spent several weeks with them before returning to America... But when he came back to Serbia to visit the children, the orphanage was nowehere to be found so he asked locals what happened to it... The orphanage was bombed and all the children were killed. He was devastated and wrote this song to memorize the suffering

[krazykintop]

@ursy1234 Not the story. He worked at a children's hospital. He went to go get supplies from a neighboring town and when he returned, it had been bombed with no surviors.

[justkatelyn]

I've been looking for a good SATB version of this song. I found it.

[xJAKExEDGEx]

perfect

[karlieskaggs]

beautiful <3

[jennadabomb]

why did you put so many "?"

[blackknight3197]

this song is gourgous... i sang it in an all-county honor's choir that i was accepted in and its amazing. Beautiful song to sing. more or less hear. If you all knew then actual meaning to this song you all would cry right then and there. Its a special song that will be with me forever

[graysonlange]

i cry myself to sleep every night to this song... its my tribute to my savior who isnt coming back for me...

[lovethemaine77]

beautiful <3

[ChandlersMusic]

I don't hear any sharpness. The song is beautiful and that's all there is to it.

[mmazz414]

gotta love guy harmonies!

[mallblacktiger1]

i absolutely love this song high school choir and we rocked because we all loved this song this song is so powerful it realy helps you see how much singing can make you feel

[samreed2012]

We had 6 guys (all with incredible voices) take this song to a state contest & it was the most moving thing I have ever heard & now this has become my favorite song. One tenor did the top notes on the splits (that the evil soprano totally butchers & one that isn't in this version) and with a combination of the purity and richness of his voice plus his soft but effective vibrato....it was unbelievable & better than any other version I've ever heard (those versions being every version on YouTube).

[aseretkavon]

That's a diva if I never knew what a diva was before.

and I'm pretty sure I knew what a diva was. I've been to the state level of choral singing (as an Alto though, so I'm not necessarily a diva). :P

[swimswamswum101]

This is so beautiful. I get the chills every time I listen to it.

[divajane1]

stunning - could drive a truck through the vibrato of the one soprano - but aside from that - the rest of the performance is actually really gorgeous!!!!!!!

[SaraJeanQueen]

I really, really like this slower tempo.

[MsCarlyAlexa]

Gorgeous, amazing song. We did this song in november... (GO SUSQUEHANNA CHORALE) but it was the women's arrangement. The story behind this song is heart wrenching. Kudos to this choir. Very beautiful, emotional tone.

[GayBoiZachary]

i cryy everytyme i sing this...is that badd? lmao

[adog198]

@GayBoiZachary Nah haha

[marsonstar]

@GayBoiZachary i cried on stage singing this and i was in the front row everyone saw lol its ok :)

[newbeginings101]

@FireofSekhmet i suppose you're right. my school preformed it and i prefer that performance.

[SyrupCow28]

@omgc00kiies123 it's pronounced dolly chew ye tey sve chey de mo liit vey

[omgc00kiies123]

how do u pronounce da little differnet kanguage thing.?

[JDWolfman12271]

I listen to this song while watching Martin Luther King's I have a dream speech. Both together makes me cry tears of joy cause they both sound beautiful

[TheJunebuglove]

I feel that the high soprano brings a sharpness in the pleading of the prayer that is very moving.

[bi316]

We are doing this in one of my choirs. All of us love this song and we all get that feeling when we do it right. We actually brought a lady that listened to us sing it to tears.

[64inkblots]

It's most likely that the message of the song isn't what is disliked, but the actual singing of the song is disliked.

[bloopbleep23]

i like the one off singer. it makes just a little more passionate. i doubt it was on accident anyway.

[newbeginings101]

i'm not sure i understand why four people disliked this. It's written by a man who saw kids with no parents going to war and dying in hospitals. How can you dislike this? This is what a man saw happening to children.. Little kids.. I just don't understand.

[FireofSekhmet]

@newbeginings101 You can like the song but dislike the performance. I imagine that's why.

[catteyes0115]

Dunno about the rest of you... but when we sang this there was a split on the soprano line to a higher harmony. We had a perfect fit, she sang like an angel. This girl had a little too much vibrato, but I can't exactly tell how large the choir is. We only had 15 in our ensemble and one voice was enough to balance out when it was high like that. Anywho, that's my two cents.

[xoforbiddenox]

@catteyes0115 That's how we're singing it in my choir, too, where the Soprano line splits. I am one of the two that has to sing the very highest note, so I was trying to figure out why people were saying it was sharp, but now I'm glad to see someone agrees. Lol. We have 20 kids in our ensemble with two singing the highest notes. But I agree on the fact that this girl has a bit too much vibrato, but she does hit the notes pretty well. Just thought I'd comment to agree on this (:

[tigerbuggy14]

My Choir and I are going to be singing this and I had to search it before I sang it... I absolutely Love this song and I love the high notes the Sopranos can hit and The blending of all the Tenors Bass Alto and Soprano (1&2) and I look forward to singing this song... Thank you for the beautiful sound of your Choir

[CHEESEisYUMMY4298]

the four people who disliked this are horrible and don't know what this song is about. For you unfeeling monsters its about how CHILDREN were soldiers. The person who wrote it was a doctor in a camp with the children soldiers. He went for supplies. When he came back, everything was destroyed. A bomb had been dropped. All the children were dead. Can you imagine that? Being a soldier child or coming back and everything destroyed? So don't be a horrible person and dislike this.

[FireofSekhmet]

@CHEESEisYUMMY4298 Okay, way to be judgmental. I like the song, but maybe some people just didn't like the performance, or they were just looking at it from a musical standpoint rather than a meaningful one and decided they didn't like the music. If someone writes something dreadful with an extremely humanitarian message, you can hate the work and still appreciate the meaning.

[stupidnewschannel]

@ musicmaniac192 I am currently singing this song any they bled so well that it sounds like one voice. That note is indeed written, and it really isn't sharp

[SyrupCow28]

Probably my favorite song that I've sung in choir.

[agreg375]

@SyrupCow28 I'm glad you think so, I love it too, conducting it is fun also. But singing even better. It's not as sad as the song Remember but its still sad and beautiful. The arranger woke up hearing this melody, itsn't that neat, to be dreaming the melody and remembering it the next day.

[mimori24]

<33333333333333333333333333333­333333333333333333333333

[stellarlousier987]

this is a beautiful song ! i am currently rehearsing with the choir i am involved in. i do not know if the age of the people in this choir, but from a sopranos point of view those pitches are very complicated to hit with out going sharp! that is why it is best before judging choirs , it to think about the factors such as; how old are these individuals and how long have they been rehearsing this piece of music . i have been a soprano all my choir career and have never seen a piece so chsllenging

[brucekara]

to listen to the best version of this song go to my space and go to three dog night and listen. you will hear a incredible version from guys that are 68 years old.you would be disapointed.

[musicmaniac192]

i wouldnt say that one soprano "wrecked the chorus", but she did take away from the overall beauty of te piece. although, in a lot of choruses ive seen, there is always that one super soprano who carries the section and sticks out even if its slightly. but i think its more of a wide vibrato issue rather than a tuning issue. the vibrato is so large that it makes her sound out of tune. overall, beautiful. i love the tight harmonies that they have as a chorus.

thanks for sharing!

[choirgirly1994]

@musicmaniac192 she did sort of but man did she hit those notes i couldn't hit them so i sang second soprano

[darkangelvampire]

@musicmaniac192 On the same note (no pun intended), it's hard to get into that range without becoming VERY LOUD. I used to be a soprano 1 (back in my glory days) and I had to use a lot of volume to get there. As a result, in recordings I was a very prominent soprano.

[anabethchase]

@darkangelvampire it does and then it strains your vocal cord then you can't sing. I could sing soprano 1 but I have a VERY soft voice and can't get my voice loud enough to hit the note every time so my choir director placed me as an alto 1 so I wont hurt my voice

[DerektheDuctTape]

don't know what to say after this song.

[XxAngelMafiaxX]

actually the correct text is "Cryin" not "Crying"

[XxAngelMafiaxX]

actually the correct text is "Cryin" not "Crying"

[That1jazzguy]

Like it! I must say I'm still more a fan of the TTBB arrangement, but focusing on it as a full chorus setting here I still like it. Although the soprano might have seemed a bit pitchy, I'm guessing that had we seen it live the quality and blending would be quite a bit better. As a general rule before tearing into ppl who sing on youtube conisder the fact that most ppl aren't able to capture the pure audio quality of a live performance.

[ebonyandivory524]

That soprano needs a spanking. She wrecked the chorus. The altos were amazing, along with the rest of the choir. Really though. The conductor should have sat that soprano down and told her to tone it down a notch on the sharpness, and vibrato. A choir is about blending. Which she DID NOT do. Other than that, it was spectacular!

[xianghuagurlie]

nice! my honors choir at my school, which I am in, will be singing this song.

[a8ariaX]

that soprano is supposed to be that high

she probly sounds like shes not blending because she might be one of the only ones singing that particular note because her voice is just that full.

[alexisleal93]

no offense to sopranos but hey bug the living shit out of me. Taking all the lime light, what about us altos?? hmmmmm

[a8ariaX]

@alexisleal93 find some music written with an alto melody then. not our fault our range is more attention grabbing.

[pcole89]

i love this song..its just so strong

[punkchic4christ]

Wow....this is the only version I can find that includes female singers.... =/ All male singers does sound pretty good, but I like the feminine touch.

[blackbirdraventurner]

@punkchic4christ yeah the other versions are good but the female voices do add something else thats special, the music is written for male and female parts as well

[punkchic4christ]

@blackbirdraventurner Yes, i know it is. We sang in it in my HS chorus. =)

[blackbirdraventurner]

@punkchic4christ yeah we are singing it at the end of the month for all county

[SuperGene12]

very good

[Aussy234]

amazing :D

[twistedmistletoe]

There is always that One Obnoxious person who doesn't understand the meaning of "blending".. :P

[musicmaniac192]

@twistedmistletoe there's always one either carrying the section or just plain ol' sticking out. =D

[xcaseyalenao]

@twistedmistletoe she is supposed to sound out of it, our of the music, her voice stands out for a reason thats how it was written

[bibibabkagirl]

@twistedmistletoe One word:

Soprano

^_^

[lovelandchick91]

that soprano is ridiculously loud and not wanted

[Shellhamer33]

Beautiful. Thank you APU !

[weendey]

So sad

[GerryButlersGirl]

Beautiful, minus that really, /REALLY/, sharp soprano...

[mcfatness]

totally agree, its more like a very bad vibrato sometimes. lol

[xcaseyalenao]

@GerryButlersGirl she is supposed to have that very high part. its how the music is written.

[GerryButlersGirl]

@xcaseyalenao Well that's fine, nothing against the way the music is written, I love it. But her voice is very sharp, or bright if you will. Her voice is not at all suited for those notes.

[GerryButlersGirl]

@xcaseyalenao Also, I sang this exact version of this song in choir as a 1st soprano, and that note was much better blended. Choir is about blending, not trying to stand out and be the best, because then you will stick out like a sore thumb.

[AshehKitteh]

@GerryButlersGirl Hm.. sharp? I don't hear someone who's sharp. but i do hear a soprano that's using waaaaaaaay too much vibrato, and I think thats why she's standing out. Shes quite possibly one of those types who thinks they're better than everyone else and wants to be the star of the show... had someone like that in my choir before. But then again, I don't know her personally, so I could be wrong about her.

[duguiang777]

yeah indeed.. beautiful... maybe not really sharp sharp, there was a portion that the vibrato of the sopranos was not that good, very wavy indeed.. although, it's not that obvious..

[crkguy]

what an amazing version,

[devilsnightmare92]

my school choir is singing this tonight for our year end concert. it is my favorite song weve ever played in choir!

[phoenixprincess22]

my choir sang this at a festival this year. it was by far the favorite song that we did. it was amazing and so sad. i almost cried every time we sand it. i love this song.

[THSChoir]

There is one soprano trying to save the day!!! Stop it!

[rohm274]

Ugh! I heard that too! She went so sharp!!

[sunnydays827]

i LOVE this.

[iwonder66]

that was beautiful <3

[DawnHome]

The vibrato is all wrong but this is also a good arrangement with both guys and girls. This song is what should be used to stop war campaigns. Our choir loved this song so much. I will never forget this song.

[69IsMyBirthday]

I agree with everybody pretty much. We havn't done this song yet in Choir for the concert but we are practicing it and I love it.

[melissajanelle22]

its very nice, but one soprano is pushing so hard that you could drive a truck through her vibrato.

[rohm274]

definitely. ugh...

[Mythlover9]

are you saying ugh because you dont like the song? If so, what's wrong with it? It's so lovely and quite well put together. :)

[rohm274]

no, I adore the song. it's a gorgeous song. this choir in particular though doesn't have the best blending :] that's all

[thatawsomekid6608]

soon, you can youtube the birming boys choir and we will have this song on there.

[dream0girl0zoe]

i am sorry but the balance is all off

[burnis50]

our womens choir sang this when we went to europe it a beautiful i almost cried every time

[Moose6960]

My church's youth choir is performing this in about two weeks or so. It's so amazingly powerful, perfectly arranged to bring out the most emotion possible.

[harringaj]

Whoever the soprano is here that thinks she can sing w/ vibrato is wrong. it's positively obnoxious, and frankly, painful. Stop it. Beatiful song - good guys section here. Make the opera style stop - does not belong here.

[jakeizod]

For solo/ensemble contest my school is doing this with eight people

ssaattbb it is beautiful

[HeatherMarieK8]

when my chior sang this piece we sang it in the church acrosse from ground zero on our trip to NYC and when we were done there was not a dry eye in the place.

[Sparklydiva210]

The absolute best SATB version of this song is done by the U.S Navy Band and Sea Chanters Chorus. Find it and listen to it--it will blow you away!

[Passion4rp]

This is by far the best recording I have heard of this song since my own choir performed it.

[Elementalcrystals]

My high school's encore singers are singing this. The first time I heard it at the rehearsal I was really close to bursting into tears.

[silentshadow1990]

Same here. My choir sang this three years ago, and it still brings tears to my eyes. It's so powerful.

[trinityshade]

My school is singing the SSAA version at our winter concert....

This is my favorite song we have, it is so beautiful and moving...

When we sang it at WCSD Honor choir I burst into tears singing it at the concert! Its hard to hear it and not feel anything, and when you sing it... what you feel... well, words can't describe..

[smileitsjoyann]

i can almost not take this song seriously because of this soprano but besides her it's beautiful :)

[Passion4rp]

Agreeed ^^''

[PlatypusVomit]

Thanks for the best version of this song on youtube. Makes me miss my high school choir. We sang this song absolutely beautifully. It was probably our best piece.

[jernsandyer]

Anyone know who arranged this version?

[estaloca4u]

the best recording of this song on youtube.. very well done.. almost perfect- however one of the sopranos get 2 carry away with the high notes

[Hyrule078]

agree i do about the sopranos. i sang this back in 1996, just TTBB 50 men, VERY POWERFUL song, *listen to mine too

[Taquitaz]

i agree, she gos a little over intense with the high notes :P

[ElementalAtHeart]

I MISS MY HIGH SCHOOL'S ACAPPELLA CHOIR!!!! We sang this version for our Italy tour in 2001. I stood next to the mezzo who sang like the one in this recording...my poor left ear!

[ElysianSuicide]

this is the best recording i've heard of this. i love it!

[connorisgay]

you probably should have done it as an all mens piece, as it was written. still good though

[cls2b]

the one my choir sang was a satb

[BellaVRose]

This is the first one I've found where they actually pronounce "Dali čǔje te sve dječje molitve" correctly. And don't tell me I spelled it wrong, my choir's doing this song and I'm taking the spelling straight from my sheet music. The sop. 1's vibrato is way distracting, but otherwise I love this choir's performance.

[KD8EDR]

Personally I think the all males version sounds better, CANTUS did an amazing job with it as they normally do. And that one soprano that stands out is what you would call a "wobbler" or an older woman who has basically lost her ability for natural vibrato and forces it.

[billboardchic]

it isn't a wobble or lack of natural vibrato - it is the fact that she is not a soprano. she is probably a mezzo or alot. it only happens on the most high parts where she can't control her sound and is pushing to get to the notes.

[KD8EDR]

Personally I think the all males version sounds better, CANTUS did an amazing job with it as they normally do. And that one soprano that stands out is what you would call a "wobbler" or an older woman who has basically lost her ability for natural vibrato and forces it.

[cardsfan643]

It's good. But that soprano needs to blend in a little more. Throws the whole song off...

[mawu909]

ur so right

[ebonyandivory524]

i only hear one distinct 1st soprano! dang she is overpowering!! But this is a great version!!

[dwalkz57]

love it :)

[zippyninny]

not bad but the choirs' voices could be a little fuller, especially the guys....

[redsoxcowboysjazz]

Best i have ever heard!

[TheAppleCiderBrigade]

This is absolutley beyond gorgeous.

[gupgupwsu]

If only that (possibly more than one, but one was very distinct) soprano could have held back a little then this would have been perfect, in my opinion. It just needs (again, imo) to be beautiful and reserved, not operatic!

Still quite beautiful, haven't found many recordings that match.

SATB version all the way :)

[11131]

I think the distinct soprano was a soprano 1, who tends to have higher notes then Soprano's, but a little less of the opera sound would have made it just that much better.

[gupgupwsu]

Yar, that's more or less what I meant (I'ma S1/2). She definitely COULD have held back the volume and power for a more restrained sound that would have matched the rest of the choir though. It's entirely likely she doesn't realize that though (I know I didn't in high school).

[anneliesederriese]

i sang this all four years in high school. i will never get tired of it, and every time i hear it or sing it i start crying. my future choirs will be singing this song once i get my music education degree.

[karsner]

was breeane barnett in this recording? that fool.

[ixcomexinxpeace]

This song always makes me cry really hard...

[CAB1990]

I am singing this song for my school Solo & Ensemble. I am going to be first soprano and I am so excited!

[tygerboy]

This is the best arrangement of this song I have EVER heard. I miss choir... :(

[Neno87]

such a beautiful prayer, it almost made me cry...